Wal-Mart Launches Sub-$500 Laptop

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Leave it to Wal-Mart to come up with a laptop for less than $500. The Balance 14.1-inch Notebook Computer with CD-ROM Drive is the latest addition to the Balance 14.1-inch laptop computer line. For $498, you get a 1.0GHz Via C3 processor, 128MB memory, 30GB hard drive, CD ROM drive, and a 14.1-inch display. The brains of the system is Lindows/Linspire version 4.5, which offers a pseudo-Windows experience. Not a bad bargain, but definitely not the one you want to spend your hard-earned cash on. If you're looking for a seriously inexpensive notebook, spend the extra $50 and choose the Balance 14.1-inch laptop with the Mobile AMD Athlon 4 processor. This system, which is the same size as the Lindows notebook, will purr much better thanks to its 1.1GHZ Mobile AMD Athlon 4 processor, 40GB hard drive, and DVD-Rom drive—not to mention wireless; a must have these days—and Microsoft Windows XP home. Now that is a bargain notebook to be proud of.